Life-saving suit



K. SOULIOTIS.

LIFE SAVING SUIT.

APPLlcATloN FILED AuG.23, 1920.

PatentedApr. 26, 1921.

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LIFE SAI/ING SUIT.

APPLICATloN FILED Amma. 1920.

1,375,803. Patented Apr.. 26, 1921.

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K. SOULIOTIS. LIFE'sAvlNG sun.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.23, 1920.

1,375,803, Patented Apr. 26,1921.

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' Lumxfoz HOW/JAWS 500A /0 7/5 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

KYBIAKOS SOULIOTIS, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE HALF TO SOTERIOS NICHOLSON, 0F WASHINGTON, DISTRICT 0F COLUMBIA.

LIFE-Savini@ sUrT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 26, 1921.

Application med August 23, 1920. Serial No. 405,286.

To all 'whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, KYRIAKos SoULIo'rIs, a subject of the King of Greece, residing at Washington, in the District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Life-Saving Suits, of which the following is a` specification.

This invention relates to life saving suits more particularly designed to be worn by marine travelers in case of shipwreck. Thel suit is made from water-proof material, and is provided with a life preserver adapted to support the suit with a person therein.

The principal object of the invention resides in the-production of a suit of this nature having an improved construction and arrangement whereby the weight will be reduced to a minimum and distributed so as to be relatively comfortably carried by the wearer and which will facilitate the ingress and egress of the user and at the same time prevent the entrance of water when the suit is properly fitted upon the person.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a one-piece suit adapted to cover the entire body from the feet to the neck and also the head with the exception of the face. This is very desirable, since with ordinary life preservers victims of marine disasters often succumb to exposure even though kept aoat.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a buoy in conjunction with the suit which is formed of sections and constructed so as to be lighter and to have a greater buoyancy than those in present use and will act as a protection so that the wearer will be less liable to suffer from accidental knocks or blows while in the water.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a placket attached to the body of the suit so as to extend over an opening extending from the neck downwardly when saine is open for passing the suit over the body of the wearer and to prevent water from entering this opening when the suit is in use.

With the above and numerous other objects in view this invention consists of certain novel features of construction, arrangement and combination of parts as will be hereinafter more fully described and especially ointed out in the appended claims.

a' portion of the suit,

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the preserver used in connection with the suit,

Figs. 5 and 6 aresections taken on the lines 5 5 and 6-6 respectively of Fig. 4 looklng in the direction of the arrow,

F1g. 7 is a top plan view of a modified form of the preserver,

Fig. 8 is a section taken through the line 8 8 of Fig. 7, and

Fig. 9 is a transverse fragmentary horizontal section taken through a portion `of the modified form of the preserver.

By referring to the drawings in detail-it will be seen that 1 designates the main body of the suit having a-slit front opening 2, the suit being provided with sleeves 3, legs 4, and feet 5. The sleeves are provided with elastic cuffs 6 so as to prevent the water from passing thereinto by keeping the sleeves firmly and tightly around the wrists of the wearer. In a life preserver suit such as herein described, the ankles of the wearer are provided with weights 7 which consist of a strap having a plurality of weights attached thereto so that same may be strapped or buckled tightly around the ankle of the of the feet are attache-d fasteners such as snap hooks 8. These fasteners 8 will preferably be simple and capable of being quickly closed so that the suit may be quickly slipped on.

Attached to the inner portion of the body 1 and adjacent the edges of the slit 2 is the iieXible cloth placket 9 which will be formed of Waterproof material and will have its upper edge terminate well above the collar of the suit so as to form an efficient protector for the wearers chin as clearly shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing. It will be noted that a hood 10 is attached to the collar of the body 1 so as to cover the head of the wearer leaving his face expose-d and strings 11 are attached to the chin portions of the hood 1() so that the upper edge of the placket 9 may be tightly pulled against the chin of the wearer. The advantage of this is that it will prevent water from striking the face s o as to sting same. This suit being especially adapted to be used in rough water 1t will be seen that the waves would have a tendency to hit the front of the body and splash against the face of the wearer whereas with this construction of having the placket extend well abovev the collar of the body 1 the waves will hit this portion of the placket and be deflected away from the face of the wearer. It should of course be understood that this placket is made of such size as to open up sufficiently when fastenings are released so as to permit the wearer to enter or leave the suit through the neck.

Referring to Figs. 4, 5 and 6 of the drawings one modification of the preserverl or buoy used in connection with the sult just described is illustrated. This preserver is j formed in two sections which are of similar construction and have a semi-circular shape having the enlarged portions 13 projecting outwardly at regular intervals thereon. In the preferred construction of this preserver there are two of these projections 13 upon each section 12. These sections 12 are mounted in any suitable manner upon the belt 14 which is provided with a buckle 15 so that same may be tightly drawn about the waist of the wearer. Strips 16 are provided around the projections 13 in any suitable manner so that the leg straps 17 may be attached thereto. It will be noted that one end of these straps 17 is attached to one of the enlar ements 13 and passes between the legs of t e wearer and has the other end thereof attached to the strips 16 upon the other projection 13. The shoulder strap 18 passes around the sections 12 intermediate the ends thereof so as to extend over the shoulders of the wearer and around the back of his neck as shown clearly in Fig. 1 of the drawings.

By referrin to Figs. 7 8 and 9 of the drawing a slightly modified form of the preserver just described is illustrated and i consists of the sections 12' which are provided with air channels. Projections 13 are also provided upon the sections 12 situated in the same positions as described for the similar modification disclosed in Fig. 4. One end of the sections 12 is connected in any suitable manner as shown at 20 and it will especially be noted that these sections 12 are independent from each other so that if one should become punctured the other would effectively hold the wearer thereof afloat in the water. The strap and buckle arrangement 21 is provided at the other ends of the sections 12 so that this device may be worn around the waist of the wearer. A shoulder strap 22 is attached to each section one of said sections being provided with the buckle 28 so that the device may be hung from the shoulders of the wearer. Any preferred construction of leg stra s may be provided for this modification. special attention is called to the fact that these sections 12 are independent of each other and each is provided with a main filling tube 30 having a valve 31 of any preferred construction at the end thereof. Each of these sections 12 is also provided with an auxiliary inlet tube 32 having an air valve 33 therein of any preferred construction to which may be attached a small compressed air container of conventional construction. The tube 30 is to be used for inserting air into the pneumatic sections 12 by the wearer but it often happens that there is not sufficient time for this operation so that it is very desirable tc have compressed air containers to which the valves 33 may be attached for quickly filling the sections 12.

In the above modifications of this preserver the projections 13 and 13 play a very important part as they extend well beyond the body/ofi the wearer and will shield him from floating timber and other obstructions which are usually found in the water around a shipwreck and thus he will be less liable to suffer from accidental knocks or blows from such obstacles. It will be further noted that these projections which extend well beyond the body of the wearer simply act as a stabilizer so as to hold the body of the wearer in a vertical position. The waves and the rough water will not have the same jarring and disagreeable effect 100 as would be the case with the ordinary buoys and preservers now in use.

Of course it is understood that signaling apparatus and food and drink may be attached to this suit in any suitable manner and in any suitable receptacle, by means of which the wearer of the suit vmay survive uponA the water for an indenite length of time.

From the foregoing description, taken in 110 connection with the accompanying drawings, the construction and operation of the suit will be readily understood without a more extended explanation. As numerous changes in form, proportion, and in the 115 minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of this invention, I do not wish to be limited to the construction herein shown and described other than as claimed.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new is:

1. A preserver of the class described comprising a pair of buoyant sections having enlargements thereon at regular intervals, 125 said sections being in fiexible engagement with each other, and means for attaching said sections to the body of a wearer in the manner and for the purpose specified.

2. A preserver of the class described com- 130 prising a belt, a pair of buoyant sections prising a pair of sections flexibly held to- 10 fixed to the belt, enlargements formed at ingether, enlargements projecting at intertervals upon the sections, straps passing vals from each section, a strip extending around the enlargements, and means for ataround said enlargements, and straps extendtaching said straps around the legs of the' ing from said strips for passing around the wearer, and means for hanging the sections legs of a wearer in the manner and for the 15 from the shoulder of the wearer in the manpurpose specified.

ner and for the purpose specified. In testimon whereof I aix my si ature.

3. 44hA preservar of the class described com- YRIAKOS SOULI TIS. 

